The Heart of the
Sky
© Richard Hodges 2016
Baba,
can you tell me the meaning of our rite? I put on the Mask of Ergon, and dance to
the drums, and something enters me: is it Ergon himself, or one of his genii?
Anyway, he dances my body. What is the meaning of this? Why do we do this
thing?
Son, tell me, how do you feel when this
happens?
I
feel a great joy. It is better than sex.
That is good. Many people feel only a
little. And please answer another question: are you still there, or do you
disappear when this happens?
I
am still there. My body is being danced—it is as if I am watching the dance,
from inside.
That is even better. Quite often the
person who is being danced like that swoons. He may not even remember later. It
is very important to remember.
Why?
What is the purpose of this?
This is a deep secret. If I tell you,
you must not tell anyone, until you have fulfilled certain obligations, which
are difficult. Do you promise?
I
promise.
Tell me one more thing: when he comes,
where does Ergon come from? Is it from the sky, as our stories say?
No.
I sense him coming from my own head—from just behind the right ear, but inside
the skull.
And where does Ergon go?
He
goes into my chest, just behind the heart. And from there he sends out rays
that take over my limbs, and dance them better than I could.
You have sensed correctly. Now tell me, who
is Ergon, what do our stories say?
He
is the Heart of the Sky. After Egu created the World, he was lonely. He created
Ergon and gave him the task to create man, who would talk with Egu and be his
junior companion.
Have you had conversation with Egu?
No,
but sometimes I hear a word or two when Ergon is dancing me. It is in a
language I do not understand. A deep powerful syllable. I think it is a
command.
You must learn this language. It is the
language of the heart. When Ergon is in you, speak to him. Ask him to teach
you. If you ask sincerely enough, he will not refuse.
What
is the purpose of speaking with Egu?
I am not the one who can answer that.
But the heart of man must be united with the Heart of the Sky.
Venus, the Heart
of the Sky
[composite
surface of the planet]
Lord
Ergon, Heart of Sky, you have come down. We dance, you dancing me, my heart
filled with overwhelming joy. Yet still I need to know, and I ask you: what is
the meaning of this?
Younger brother, man, I do not care for
what you call “meaning”—I only know the dance itself. What you ask is for a
higher One than I to answer.
Is
that Lord Egu, maker of the world, and of you? I have heard of him…and now I
think I hear his voice. It sounds a word I do not know—it sounds like “Hrrm.” What does it
mean?
It means “Be silent. Cease your
questioning and only Be.”
And
now he says “Viil”—please tell
me…
“Raise your inner eye, look higher than
the Sky.” Can you fulfill these words?
These
are hard commandments. But wait—a penetrating x-ray beam comes down. I see my
heart transparent, empty. What I felt so strongly is but a tawdry yellow glow
that fades against this light.
Listen deeper—what word do you hear now?
Nothing—wait,
just a whisper—“srrsrrsrr”—something like
that.
It means—no, I cannot tell you. You must
answer for yourself.
This
seems a riddle—you say I am to just Be—but I also need to know the meaning.
Welcome, elder brother, to the puzzle
that makes man Man. You are above me now, at least you reach in that direction.
I am only single; you are double, because you need to Know as well as to Be.
Now you must address your question to Egu.
+ + +
Egu,
why do I have this question? Why do I exist? What is the answer?
GmmUii
Ullm Hvvq
Uii Ullm
What? No wait; perhaps I begin to understand
you—“the question is from you, the answer must be from you.” How do I seek the
answer?
[silence]
Do
I create myself by wondering? Is that the end of the matter? If so, it is like
a snake eating its own tail—but then, in the end there is nothing.
Srr Eshsh Viil
There
is another, higher than you, Egu? Another, who is called “Esh”? Where does he
exist?
Eshsh Viil Hrrm HrrmL
Esh
is beyond existence and non-existence?
Tjjw Eshsh
I
exist in Esh? Then that unrolls the snake! The snake of questioning lies
between me and Esh; the question does not consume itself. Is that the answer?
[silence]